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Gay bill bolts over hurdle

14 Mar, 2013 6:45am

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Same-sex marriage inched another step closer late last night when MPs backed it overwhelmingly at the second hurdle, with only a handful of previous supporters turning against it. Labour MP Louisa Wall's bill passed its second reading 77-44, Chris Auchinvole spoke about the social shift occurring in NZ, with only 32 per cent of marriages taking place in a church.

Same-sex marriage inched another step closer late last night when MPs backed it overwhelmingly at the second hurdle, with only a handful of previous supporters turning against it.

Labour MP Louisa Wall's bill passed its second reading 77-44, a drop in support of three votes from the first reading.

More than 200 people packed the public gallery to hear the heated debate. As the vote was announced, cheers erupted both from the public seating area and the debating chamber, and a number of MPs embraced.

Ms Wall told Parliament that the discussion on her bill had highlighted the discrimination felt by gay communities in New Zealand.

"The agony and hardship that so many who bravely made submissions have had to face is unreasonable. But what's totally unacceptable is the state perpetuating that agony and hardship by not issuing marriage licences to loving, consenting and eligible non-heterosexual couples."

She stressed the importance of freedom of religion in making the law change, but also made a plea to churches to consider the rights of the gay and transgender community "with love, compassion and reason".

National MP Tim Macindoe was the first to speak against the bill, arguing that although NZ was a secular society, he did not believe his Christian faith should be omitted from discussion of the issue.

Caucus colleague Chris Auchinvole spoke about the social shift occurring in NZ, with only 32 per cent of marriages taking place in a church.

Green MP Kevin Hague said the submissions on the bill revealed both tragedy and joy. "Some ... were hard to listen to. They shared with the committee their own stories of the damage that prejudice and discrimination had brought them: friends lost to suicide, their own self-harm, depression and isolation ..."

National MP Chester Borrows, who described himself as a conservative Christian, slammed the "abhorrent" way that some groups - including churches - had conducted themselves in the debate.

He opposed the bill because he did not believe that changing the definition of marriage helped achieve equality in long-term relationships.

The bill is likely to return to Parliament for the committee stage at the end of the month, when MPs will pick through it clause by clause.